


The Kids Aren't Alright

by nexparker



Series: Blood On Your Hands [8]
Category: NINE PERCENT (Band), 乐华七子NEXT | NEX7, 偶像练习生 | Idol Producer (TV)
Genre: M/M, doctor!yanchen, gang!awaken-f, gang!nex7, gangmember!zeren, gramarie, holy flashbacks, i promise we will return to our regularly scheduled yanren content soon, oaca, yuehua - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-10-09 06:15:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17401571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nexparker/pseuds/nexparker
Summary: “And in the end, I’d do it all again…”





	The Kids Aren't Alright

**Author's Note:**

> Italics: Flashback (this is another flashback chapter so be ready for lots of italics) 
> 
> Italics In Bold: Flashback within a Flashback (this is confusing I’m sorry)
> 
> Word Count: 4.89k
> 
> Warnings: blood, swearing, kinda graphic descriptions of wounds, really inaccurate medicine, surgery, tropes, tooth-rotting fluff, slight mentions of drugs if you consider weed a drug lol (btw i don’t smoke so if this is wrong don’t yell at me), anxiety attacks

_**August 1st | ZEREN:** _

_Boredom hung over the brunette’s head like a storm cloud. There wasn’t much he could do. He didn’t have friends to see, didn’t have money to spend and worst of all, didn’t have alcohol to forget these facts._

_All he could do was walk around, sitting down on a park bench to people watch when his legs got tired. Zeren learned a lot about people this way. No matter how many people he watched, regardless of age, gender or appearance, Zeren always found a similar underlying characteristic: Greed._

_That definitely seems a little cynical in a “i hate the world” type of way, but it just made sense to him; the toddler stamping their foot when their mother wouldn’t let them have ice cream. The businessman who was “too busy” to look up from his phone and give a few dollars to a homeless man. Even the pigeons battling it out for food that they found littered around the trash cans. The pedestrian who threw away their plastic water bottle in the trash can, despite the fact that there was a recycling bin down the path. All greedy. Not always for the same thing, but nonetheless._

_Zeren wondered if it was a bad thing. Without it, would the world turn? Businesses and everything impacted by economics would fall apart, as there would be no desire for “more”. Would relationships keep going? If there was no push to reach new levels driven by desire, what was the point?_

_Zeren guessed that his new found philosophical awareness was a side-effect of having nothing else to do. He wasn’t mad at that, though. It gave him the chance to look back on his actions. Had he ever been truly selfless? Hard to say. All his achievements tended to be for some form of gratification; money was the most common form of gratification, hence the time he spent working with Mubo._

_Either way, it didn’t matter if Zeren couldn’t figure it out. He’d have plenty of time to on the walk back to the parking garage._

* * *

 

_**August 3rd | WENJUN:** _

_Wenjun stared down at the textbook on his desk._

_‘This is so stupid. Why am I even here?’ He asked himself, trying to make his eyes focus on the tiny print.  
_

_‘I already know all there is to know about abstract algebra anyways. There’s nothing that this class can teach me.’ Wenjun muttered quietly, sighing._

_Apparently he was a little too loud._

_“Something the matter, Mr. Bi?” the professor called.  
_

_‘Shit.’ Wenjun thought.  
_

_“Oh, no. It’s nothing really...” he tried to wave it off, hoping all the students in his class would re-stick their noses back in their books._

_“But I thought I heard you bring up an interesting anecdote. Care to share it with the class?” the professor pushed.  
_

_Wenjun sighed again, knowing he wasn’t going to find a way out of this. Leaning back in his chair, he closed his textbook._

_“I said that there isn’t anything more this class can teach me. I’ve had this stuff ingrained in my head since I was 12. I shouldn’t be here is all.” Wenjun shrugged, trying to ignore the stares of his classmates burning holes in the back of his head.  
_

_“Is that so?” the professor asked, narrowing his eyes.  
_

_“Yeah.” Wenjun nodded, knowing he seemed smug but choosing not to care.  
_

_“Would you care to answer number 18 for us, then? It’s been giving us quite a bit of trouble, which you would have known, had you been paying the slightest bit of attention.” Wenjun had to resist the temptation to roll his eyes at the request.  
_

_“Awh, you’re giving me an easy one.” Wenjun cocked his head to the side, watching the professor grow more and more furious by the second. “It’s y = 342. And if that’s giving you trouble, maybe you shouldn’t be teaching this class.”  
_

_Wenjun knew that as soon as the words left his mouth that he was done for._

_“Get out of my class.” the professor ordered through gritted teeth.  
_

_Wenjun bit his lip, his cheeks burning slightly as he picked up his belongings and stuffing them into his bag before walking out of the classroom._

_Despite the slight public humiliation, it didn’t really bother him that much. Wenjun knew he was smart, maybe too smart to be where he was. Hence the reason he spent his pastime pissing off his professors and fellow classmates with his “know-it-all-ness”, as Wenjun liked to call it._

_Even if being kicked out of the class didn’t bother Wenjun much, he knew he was about to get the lecture of a lifetime from his mother. Being 21, Wenjun knew he didn’t have to listen to his mother as closely anymore, seeing as he was an adult now. However, Wenjun knew she only wanted “what was best for him”. Unfortunately, what his mother saw as “an opportunity to be with people of the same intellectual level as him”, Wenjun saw as a “scheduled naptime minus the napping because of the push to interact with other humans his age”. It short, it wasn’t as “thrilling” as his mother had put it._

_Strolling down the quiet halls of the university mathematics and arithmetic building, Wenjun pulled out his phone to text his friend, Ruibin._

_**Wenjun | 7:23 PM** : do you know if there’s a way to return my abstract algebra textbook? this thing cost like 200$ and that can buy me at least two new pairs of shoes_

_**Ruibin | 7:24 PM:**  let me guess, you got kicked out of another class?_

_**Wenjun | 7:24 PM:**  you know me too well_

_**Ruibin | 7:24 PM:**  have fun making that call to your mom_

_**Wenjun | 7:25 PM:**  whatever happens, it’ll definitely be more interesting than that class lmao_

_Wenjun locked his phone, slipping it back into his pocket. He moved down the grey steps and through the dreary halls slowly before pushing open the door to the outside world. Beginning his walk home, Wenjun turned and looked over his shoulder back at the building. It was beautiful. It was tall with intricate arches and interesting design functionality. The building itself practically screamed the word “prestigious”. Despite this, Wenjun knew that he didn’t belong there and he knew he never would._

* * *

 

**_August 4th | ZHENGTING:_ **

_Zhengting never used to smoke. Not when he was a teen, not ever. He never saw the appeal in getting high, not until now, when it was the only way that he felt that he could exist._

_Letting the pungent smoke blow out of his mouth, Zhengting replayed that night over and over and over again in his head. It still hurt every single time. It was HIS idea. His idea to rob the bank, his idea to get Mubo involved, his idea to not give up the cash. And now, his boyfriend was dead. His idea, his fault._

_The joint took the edge off, as they say. Everything around him was slightly fuzzy as waves of calm washed over his body, slowing his heartbeat and making his head feel like it was full of cotton. It was comforting, like a second nature or alternate state of being that Zhengting liked to slip into whenever he could in order to drown out his thoughts and memories._

_The lighting in his bedroom was dim, only a small lamp giving off any form of light. The smoke danced through the air, performing for Zhengting. It distracted him, entrancing him like he was watching a ballet performance._

_Letting his eyes focus again, Zhengting looked at the stuffed bear sitting on the bed next to him. He touched it, letting the soft fabric bring him back to the night it had come home with him._

_**It was stupid, really. A few months before that night, Ziyi had surprised Zhengting by bringing him to the boardwalk. His boyfriend had held his hands over his eyes and led him through a couple of crowded streets to the walkways that held the attractions.** _

_**At that time, one never would have pinned Zhengting as the type to commit a crime; not when they saw how excited he got over the prospect of winning a stupid stuffed bear from one of those booth games where you had to knock over all the bottles to win.** _

_**Ziyi was set on winning the stupid stuffed bear for his boyfriend. After 15 minutes and about 20$ worth of game tokens spent, Zhengting clutched the bear in his arms, bouncing on his toes happily like a child.** _

_**“You better still cuddle me.” Ziyi had said.  
** _

_**“I don’t know,” Zhengting replied, admiring the bear. “I think you have some competition when it comes to my cuddle buddy now,” he teased.  
** _

_**Ziyi rolled his eyes, grabbing Zhengting’s hand before pulling him off in a new direction. Zhengting moved with him, eager to see what else was in store for the night.** _

_Coming back to the present, Zhengting wasn’t surprised to find his cheeks wet. He wiped at his face hastily, knowing that he’d already cried enough. He set the bear down on the bed once more before picking up the joint from the ashtray and moving it to his lips._

_This is why Zhengting didn’t indulge himself with memories. It was too painful. Too painful to remember, but not painful enough to want to forget._

* * *

 

**_August 14th | MINGHAO:_ **

_Minghao didn’t like to address the fact that he had to deal with abandonment issues. He never brought it up, and he made sure no one around him did. However, it wasn’t hard to figure out. It didn’t take Xukun long at all._

_He had left home a few months prior to meeting Xukun, knowing that there was no hope for him there with his mother dead and his father drinking himself into a tupor every night. He doubted that his father ever even noticed that he had left, and that stung for the first few months. It really did. However, he found away from the pain with painting. Creative escapes are so often used as tropes or cliches that it made the blonde cringe when he thought about it, but it did help._

_That’s how he met his partner in crime, Cai Xukun. **It was late at night back in January and Minghao stood back from the brick wall he had just finished “decorating” as he liked to call it.**_

_**“I like it.” A voice sounded from behind him. The fact that it was so sudden and also late at night caused the blonde to nearly jump out of his skin.  
** _

_**“Holy shit.” he swore breathlessly, quickly turning around to see a guy in a hoodie standing beneath the streetlight.  
** _

_**“What did you say?” Minghao asked.  
** _

_**“I said that I liked your... vandalism, I guess.” the figure explained.  
** _

_**“Oh. Thanks.” Minghao replied, heart still pounding. “You can, uh, get a closer look, if you want.” he offered.** _

_**With that, the figure took several steps forward, allowing more of his face to be seen.  Minghao thought he looked young, perhaps just a few years older than him. He was around the same height if Minghao stood on his tip toes. Dark hair kept falling into his eyes and he moved away from his face periodically out of habit as he examined the painting on the bricks.** _

_**“Nice use of color.” the guy commented to which Minghao replied with a small-voiced “thanks”.  
** _

_**Stepping away from the wall, the figure turned back to Minghao.** _

_**“It’s really cool, but why are you out here so late?” He asked.** _

_**The blonde hesitated, unsure if he wanted to explain himself right at that moment. Deciding to deflect with another question, Minghao tried not to let his voice waver upon delivery: “I could ask you the same thing.”** _

_**“I’ll tell you why if you do the same.” the other seemed genuinely curious to hear Minghao’s reasons, and he wasn’t sure if he should take that as a good or a bad thing.  
** _

_**“Deal.”  
** _

_**“Insomnia,” the figure quipped. “It’s quite the bitch. Taking a walk sometimes helps.”  
** _

_**Minghao was unsure if he should laugh.** _

_**“Your turn,” the guy prodded, to which Minghao cleared his throat in preparation for his response.** _

_**“I, uh, don’t really have anywhere to go. So, I sleep during the day wherever I can find a spot. And at night, I do this.” He tried to explain.  
** _

_**“You don’t have anywhere to go? But you’re just a kid!”  
** _

_**“i’m 16, thanks.” Minghao replied, mildly annoyed.  
** _

_**“That’s still no age to be on your own. Where are your parents?”  
** _

**_“That’s not any of your business, last time I checked.” Minghao snapped, feeling bad when the guy recoiled a little._ _“Sorry. It’s a sensitive topic for me.”_ **

_**“No, it’s okay.”  
** _

_**The two stood in silence for a moment, waiting for the other to talk or for one to walk away, when neither of them did, the other guy spoke up.** _

_**“Listen, this isn’t really the place for you to be on your own at this time. Why don’t you come back to my place? You can crash there for a few days.” the brunette offered.  
** _

_**Minghao hesitated.** _

_**“I don’t even know your name, and you expect me to go back to your place? What if you end up murdering me?” Minghao looked the guy up and down like he was crazy.  
** _

_**“Oh, true. My name is Cai Xukun and I promise I’m not a murderer.” the guy stuck his hand out, offering a handshake.  
** _

_**“Justin.” Minghao replied, grabbing Xukun’s hand. He didn’t want to use his real name in case things went awry.  
** _

_**“Nice to meet you, Justin. Now are you coming or not? I don’t have immediate access to my criminal record, but I do have immediate access to a couch for you to sleep on, if you would like.” Xukun joked.  
** _

_**“How do I know I can trust you?” Minghao asked.  
** _

_**“I don’t know, man. That’s up to you.”**   
_

_Minghao was so glad he had decided to trust the stranger on the street that night. Months later, they were best friends, or even more so, like brothers. Brothers until the end. Unfortunately, that end came sooner than expected._

_The apartment was dark, the blinds drawn with only cracks of sunlight peeking through. It was quiet too. Minghao sat on the futon, staring off into space. Xukun wasn’t there. It had been two days since he had come home, and the anxiety was starting to grab hold of Minghao, choking him and making it hard to breathe or move. All he could do was stare at the door, hoping his friend would come walking through at any moment._

_It would be another two days before Minghao realized his worst fear: Xukun wasn’t coming back. It was his fault. He pushed him away, farther and farther away, putting up walls between them that nothing could tear down. He couldn’t explain why it scared him so much. Why he didn’t want Xukun to do it. And that just made everything worse._

_This was a kind of hurt inside of Minghao’s chest that he had felt before; It’s the same hurt he felt when he left home. Xukun hadn’t just given him a home, but had become his home. He was comfortable and happy with him. Everything was okay and it didn’t matter that he was un-welcomed by anyone else because he had his best friend, his brother. But now, he didn’t, and the blonde felt all the scrutiny and judgement of everyone else he had felt before._

_Minghao knew that every waking moment he spent in the once-shared, he was going to feel worse. The weight on his chest would get heavier and heavier. He needed to leave. Wiping the tears out of his eyes, Minghao stood up from his place on the futon, and slowly walked over to where his backpack sat on the floor._

_He began to put a few days worth of food from the pantry into the biggest pocket of the backpack, quickly running out of room because of the cans of spray paint. Minghao paused in thought for a moment, before pulling the cans out and leaving them on the floor. He wouldn’t be needing them anymore. Not when the thing that was his creative escape had become tainted with the memories of someone so close to him._

_Finishing packing the food and a few bottles of water, Minghao grabbed a substantial amount of money from the envelope under the kitchen sink. Xukun thought he had hidden it well, but Minghao had always known where it was. He almost felt bad for taking the money, but not nearly as bad as he would if he stayed in the apartment any longer._

_Before leaving, Minghao pulled out a piece of paper from a drawer at the desk in the living room. Picking up a pen, Minghao began to say his goodbye in the form of written words. He had to pause a few times to stop tears from rolling down his face and onto the paper. After finishing, he signed the note “Justin”. By this time, Xukun had learned Minghao’s real name, but it didn’t feel right to use it at this time, seeing as Xukun claimed he “didn’t recognize who Minghao was anymore”._

_With that, he folded up the note, leaving it on the kitchen counter and grabbing his phone, before looking around the apartment one last time. He pushed the door open, and left, leaving behind a physical memory of himself, but taking with him the mental memories that he would keep forever._

* * *

 

**_August 23rd | QUANZHE:_ **

_Quanzhe’s knee bounced up and down as he sat in the uncomfortable hospital waiting room chair. He picked at the skin around his nails with anxiety, trying desperately to slow his breathing and simultaneously make time speed up. He tried not to think about the fact that his mother had just been rushed to the emergency room due to another diabetic episode, but it was getting harder and harder to focus on anything BUT that._

_Quanzhe had his head in his hands, only looking up when he felt the familiar buzz of his phone in his pocket. Pulling it out, he saw that it was the alarm he set for when he needed to leave for work._

_‘That’s really the last thing I want to think about right now...” he thought, debating whether or not it was worth it to try to explain to his boss what had happened.  
_

_He had become so wrapped up in his own thoughts, the hand placed on his left shoulder made him jump. He looked up, relieved to see who it was._

_Linong._

_“Quanzhe, are you okay? Why are you here?” He asked, looking worried.  
_

_“It’s my mom. She had a diabetic episode. They’re treating her for it now.” the blonde replied tiredly, trying not to cry at the idea of figuring out how he was supposed to pay for the cost of treatment.  
_

_“Oh no. I’m so sorry, Quanzhe.” Linong looked genuinely sorry, and the blonde was sure he felt guilty about not being able to do more. That was just Linong’s nature. “Do you know who is treating her?” the nurse asked, sitting down in the chair across from Quanzhe.  
_

_“Dr. Zhou, I think. Is he good?” Quanzhe asked.  
_

_“Well, there’s two Doctor Zhou’s, but they’re both very good. She’s in good hands.” Linong reassured.  
_

_Quanzhe let out a small sigh of relief at this. Running his hand through his hair, he looked up at his friend._

_“I’m supposed to be leaving for work now, but I don’t think I can.”_

_“Well, no one can blame you for that--” Linong began but the blonde interrupted him.  
_

_“No, you don’t get it. I don’t think I can do this anymore. I get no sleep, get paid too little, and am always falling short.” Quanzhe spoke quickly, seemingly on the verge of a panic attack.  
_

_Linong moved forward in his chair, trying to get closer to his friend._

_“Hey, it’s okay, bro. It’ll be okay. We’ll figure something out...” the nurse tried to calm down the hyperventilating blonde.  
_

_“I don’t know, Linong. I’m worried that I’m at the end of my road here.” Quanzhe bit his lip, still breathing hard out of his nose.  
_

_“Don’t say that. Let me help, what can I do?”  
_

_“There’s nothing you CAN do!”  
_

_Linong frowned sadly, knowing it to be true._

_“I’m scared that I’m going to have to do something drastic.” Quanzhe said frantically. Little did the nurse know that he already had.  
_

_Linong’s eyes widened at this idea._

_“Hey, wait, no no no. You don’t have to do anything. We’ll get you help. I can speak to someone!” Linong suggested, beginning to look around for a social worker. “Wait right here. Don’t move, I’m coming right back, okay?” Linong ordered to the still panting Quanzhe before dashing down the hall to god knows where._

_Closing his eyes and trying to calm himself down, Quanzhe took a few deep breaths._

_By the time that Linong had returned, the blonde was nowhere to be found._

* * *

 

**_August 27th | MINGHAO:_ **

_Minghao was so hungry. He had run out of food already and he had used a good amount of the money he had taken from Xukun’s place already. He wanted to conserve the last of it in case something happened and he really needed it._

_At this point, he had resorted to “borrowing” a little bit of food from different places here and there. He was sure no one even noticed it was gone. However, a little bit here and a little bit there started to add up._

_There was this abandoned office building off the corner of 2nd that had a door with a rusty lock. It didn’t take much for Minghao to kick the door in with his foot, the loud bang echoing off the walls of the large main room. Minghao turned on his phone flashlight while he began to look around the building._

_He couldn’t believe his luck when he found a fridge in one corner of the large room. Minghao slowly crept over to it and opened it to find a bunch of different food. He wasn’t entirely sure as to why the food was there, but he was grateful for it’s presence nonetheless._

_Looking over his shoulder before he started, the young blonde began to pull things off the shelves of the refrigerator before stuffing them into his empty backpack. Minghao moved quickly, the fear of someone finding him making his arms move faster and faster._

_He had pretty much cleaned out the fridge when he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. Naturally, Minghao jumped in surprise._

_“What the fuck?!” He yelped.  
_

_“I should be the one asking that.” the figure standing in front of him said. Minghao reached for his phone in his pocket and shined the flashlight on the person standing there. He took in the appearance of the person standing there. He was around the same height as Minghao with brown hair and a slim figure. Minghao could tell that he was older, just by the way that he carried himself and the way he was acting.  
_

_“Who are you?” the man asked.  
_

_“I, uh...” Minghao stumbled over his words, looking down at the food that was sticking out of his backpack.  
_

_“Spit it out, kid.” the figure ordered.  
_

_“Huang Minghao.” Minghao answered immediately, not thinking before he spoke.  
_

_“What are you doing in my fridge?” the man asked calmly, yet with ice in his voice.  
_

_“I-I was hungry and I have nowhere to go and-” the blonde started to ramble, his usually confident, bold-faced act nowhere to be seen.  
_

_“You’re just a kid. Why don’t you have anywhere to go?” the man crossed his arms.  
_

_Minghao tensed at the similar words. He tried not to show the fact that he felt like he had just been slapped._

_“I had somewhere to go, someone to go to, but I-I lost them.” Minghao explained, looking down at his feet.  
_

_The figure paused, looking the blonde up and down._

_“I’m Zhengting.” The man spoke finally. “And I’m just like you.”  
_

* * *

 

_**September 10th | CHENGCHENG:** _

_Chengcheng had really done it this time._

_‘Stupid! That was so stupid! Usually I’m better than that!’ Chengcheng scolded himself as he sprinted down the sidewalk, trying to escape the police sirens that followed him from a distance._

_‘And to think I spent all that money on firecrackers and didn’t even get to watch them go off! Now that’s just a waste.’ He grumbled to himself, ducking down an alleyway, hoping to throw the cops off his trail._

_The alleyway spit Chengcheng out at the corner of second. It was here that he spotted an old, broken down building with only a few stories._

_‘I bet I could hide in there if I could find a way in...’ he thought. The sirens grew increasingly louder and louder the longer Chengcheng waited. Deciding the building was his best bet, he made a mad dash for it and was relieved when he saw a cracked door outside the back of the building. Making sure no one was following him, he quickly slipped inside.  
_

_Chengcheng was expecting it to be dark inside; after all, the building was abandoned. Or so he thought it was._

_That was the first and last time Chengcheng ever wanted to have a gun pointed at his forehead._

_“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Chengcheng held his hands up in surrender.  
_

_“Who are you?” the man holding the gun asked.  
_

_“Depends on who is asking.”  
_

_The man pushed the barrel of the gun closer to Chengcheng’s head. “I seriously doubt you want to be messing around right now. I’m only going to ask one more time. Who are you?”_

_“Fan Chengcheng.” Chengcheng answered quickly, keeping very still.  
_

_“Wait, Ting-ge. I know him.” Another voice said. A familiar voice.  
_

_Chengcheng let his eyes follow the source of the voice and was slightly surprised to see Huang Minghao walking out from behind the man with a gun._

_“J-Justin?” Chengcheng stuttered.  
_

_“It’s Minghao now.” the blonde clairfied, giving up on his nickname from his youth.  
_

_“How do you know him?” the one holding the gun asked, still keeping the end pointed at Chengcheng.  
_

_“We went to school together, before I dropped out.” Minghao answered. “He’s fine, Ting-ge. Let him be.” the young blonde pushed his hand down on the barrel of the gun.  
_

_“Why are you here?”  
_

_“I was running from the police.” Chengcheng answered honestly.  
_

_“You were what?!” the unidentified man snapped.  
_

_“I was in the midst of pulling what may have been the best prank ever, but I got caught before I could execute it, so I ran for it.”  
_

_Minghao began to laugh at this._

_“Nothing has changed, I see. How have you been, man?” Minghao moved towards Chengcheng despite the look on the other man’s face that was hard yet unreadable.  
_

_“I’ve been good. You?”  
_

_“Up and down. You know how it is.” Minghao shrugged.  
_

_“What are you doing here?” Chengcheng asked.  
_

_“Me? Oh! I live here.” the blonde answered cheerfully._

_‘He lives here???’ Chengcheng thought.  
_

_“This is Zhengting. He’s been my.... uh, friend? I’m not sure the word to use for it, but yeah, we’re roomies.” Minghao gestured to the other man.  
_

_“You live in an abandoned office building? Isn’t that like, squatting, or something?” Chengcheng asked.  
_

_‘You got a problem with that?” Zhengting asked, venom laced in his voice.  
_

_Chengcheng quickly shook his head._

_“Well, since you’re here, let’s catch up!” Minghao invited, waving him over to the set of sofas that Chengcheng hadn’t noticed before.  
_

_‘What is happening right now?’ Chengcheng asked himself, but his head was a foggy haze.  
_

_After a good 25 minutes of back and forth conversation between the two Chengcheng had learned a plethora of things about both Zhengting and Minghao:_

_1\. Minghao has attachment issues. He didn’t say it, but it’s kinda obvious at this point, seeing as he’s clinging onto the leg of a man he just met last month._

_2\. Zhengting seems to hate the world. Chengcheng couldn’t blame him for that one._

_3\. They both seem to think they’re above the law. Thinking that Chengcheng didn’t necessaily agree with, but could be persuaded to subscribe to if it was going to give him enough of an adrenaline high._

_4\. That cool graffiti wall off of 7th was done by Minghao._

_And the last thing, was something that Chengcheng learned about himself:_

_5\. Chengcheng is scared of Zhengting. But yet again, who wouldn’t be?_

_Adrenaline junkie or not, Chengcheng knew that his conscious was telling him that these guys were dangerous and that hanging around them would DEFINITELY NOT be a good idea. Like, he just had a pistol pointed at his head half an hour ago._

_Knowing this, Chengcheng ended up leaving the building later that afternoon with the cell phone numbers of both Zhengting and Minghao programmed into his phone._

_“Good times ahead...” Chengcheng smiled to himself, looking down at the numbers in his phone, already plotting his next move._

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This part is entirely backstory and because of that i’m kinda surprised I wrote it all in one day, because backstory is usually pretty hard for me. 
> 
> I know that this one is really just a filler, but It does explain SOME things. I plan on getting back to our regularly scheduled Yanren content soon. 
> 
> Also! I don’t know if any of you know, but all the parts to this series minus the first part are based off of song titles or song lyrics! And I have created a playlist on youtube where you can listen to all the songs! You can do so here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3P7pTlrTDFy8JtBKDbWIjtUx5lgfkQYq
> 
> Anyways, I hope that you enjoyed this nonetheless. 
> 
> Thanks for still reading this mess!
> 
> Grace


End file.
